Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Down 1.1% – Should You Sell?

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)’s stock price fell 1.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $908.81 and last traded at $912.59. 2,474,528 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the average session volume of 2,262,479 shares. The stock had previously closed at $922.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Roth Capital set a $907.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Hovde Group began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,140.00 to $1,134.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,025.07.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5%

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $932.06 and a 200-day moving average of $964.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $394.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.81 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $86.01 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 2.94%.Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total value of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. The trade was a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 9,720 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,257 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Aldebaran Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 37.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 350 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $18,842,000. GM Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.2% in the third quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,275 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,883,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 15,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,541,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 127.3% during the third quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,366 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.